Vince Cable should be our next Prime Minister

Sir Vince Cable has the life, business and political experience to command the respect of Parliament and the public: EPA

Andreas Whittam Smith once again makes a sensible and rational argument for a way forward from the unmitigated “coalition of chaos” Theresa May has managed to create. However, he is missing the final piece of the jigsaw when he asks who would lead such a national government. The obvious answer will be available following the Lib Dems’ confirmation of Sir Vince Cable as their new leader.

He has the life, business and political experience (far more than any other potential prime ministers from either Labour or the Conservatives) to command the respect of the majority of MPs and probably the majority of the population, and to lead the Brexit negotiations fairly in the best interests of the UK as a whole.

His first priority, and a key “red line” of any national government agreement, would be to put the final stay or go decision on Brexit to a second referendum once negotiations have been concluded.

The only problem with this would be the hysterical reaction of the rabidly hard Brexit media

Stephen Marr
Lesmurdie

Don’t attack our NHS over Charlie Gard

As the mother of a midwife and a doctor I've viewed with increasing horror the growing circus surrounding 11-month-old Charlie Gard.

As my heart bleeds for the baby and his poor parents so it does for the medics who appear to have worked so hard for this family and now seem to be vilified.

The parents – understandably with other things on their mind – seem to have no idea how warped this situation has become to the point where they are almost pawns in the middle.

The latest “sickness” to attach itself to this situation is the plethora of right wing commentators and US commentators claiming he is dying because of the type of healthcare we have in the UK. This from a country that had healthcare only for the wealthy until Obamacare and is in the process of throwing 22 million needy Americans off the healthcare programme.

That is what I call sick.

Amanda Baker
Edinburgh

We need cash in hand

Cash in hand is surely good for the economy?

Most of those who receive cash in hand recycle it quickly by spending it (because they need to) and in doing so they pay up to 20 per cent in tax. So that's doubly good, and clearly they contribute more to the economy than those who stash their money in tax havens, neither benefiting the economy by spending it nor by paying tax.

What's more, most cash-in-hand workers don’t scratch together enough to pay income tax while, if cash is used for larger transactions, law exists to tackle tax evasion and other corrupt practices.

David Penn
​Kendal

Brexit pension risk

While in a democracy all votes are equal it is interesting to query the reasoning behind the individuals’ choice. In sometimes heated discussions regarding Brexit with my contemporaries born in the 1940s the majority are for leaving and are shocked when I point out to them that a large percentage of us will be dead by the time the consequences of leaving are apparent. However, when I ask what stake they have in the outcome of leaving the answers are a mix of the usual – sovereignty, European Court of Justice, Brussels and so on

None will admit that they haven't any stake in the gamble because they expect their pensions, both state and final salary, to be paid whatever happens.

It would be ironic if after leaving some government should attempt to balance the books by reducing pensions and there were no European Court of last resort to make an appeal to.

Gary Kirk 
Burnley

Another disappointed student nurse

I am writing this having recently been reading some of the letters regarding the NHS, nurses and student nurses.

I am a student nurse myself, just about to get ready to begin my second year, and this past twelve months of training has really opened my eyes to the real world of the NHS, our government and the little support we receive.

I spend the majority of my time in practice in order to gain experience, and to work on the skills that I require in order to be a competent nurse. My placement hours class as a full time job, totalling at 37.5 hours a week. This means that while I am on placement I am working full-time, on the wards of the hospital in my town and in the community. For this, I receive less than £200 a month. This money has to cover the costs of rent, a car, books, and general living. As I am still a dependent child, living at home with my parents, they are expected to fund my living.

However, I am an almost 20 year old, and have four other siblings, two of which are still living at home with me and require full funding off my parents. I ask, why is it right that my parents should have to fund my living for the rest of my training? I am an adult.

Many students, including myself, are forced to work a job alongside our nurse training in order to live. That means working our full time placement on 37.5 hours a week, and then working a paid job on top. With the time we have left we are supposed to rest, but also find the time to study for exams, practical assessments and complete assignments which are vital to our training.

I sometimes feel as though the current Government don't have much interest or concern for those training nurses who are so passionate about our job, but who struggle because we do not receive enough support.

I love what I do, and I am extremely excited for my future career as a nurse. I have the most amount of respect and love for our current nurses, not just in our country, but around the world. We are loving, caring, and it is our main goal to help other people and to offer a shoulder of support to those who need us. My main worry is that in the future we will lose our nurses because of lack of support and funding from the government. It is becoming difficult to do nursing training, and we are finding the numbers of student nurses decline each year. We need more support. We need our nurses.

Name and address supplied

Carers deserve more

Unpaid and underpaid carers save the country billions, yet carers allowance is a paltry £62.70 a week, with conditions, and crucially means tested against other benefits.

Payment should be much higher with less restrictions, plus a lot more support with respite for carers. Their own health suffers as they do put the person they are caring for first.

Let's not forget the changes to disability benefits which can also prevent carers getting support. But if they stopped doing care work the burden would fall on the NHS and residential care, which would cripple the country.

Time for welfare reform methinks!

Gary Martin
London E17

Article source:yahoo.com